Welcome Guide

• Respect yourself, classmates, teacher, classroom environment, and school property

• Celebrate learning, differences, and uncertainty

• Embody proactive, inclusive, and professional behavior towards learning, peers, faculty/staff, and our surroundings

• Your best is your best - come prepared to learn, collaborate, and be human

• Engage higher-level thinking skills to develop cultural awareness and language proficiency

• Practice Non-Violent Communication

Show up. Ask for help. Communicate your needs. Get here on time and see this class through until the end. Support your peers. In the spirit of working to make sure that everyone gets the most out of this class, please let me know if you have any physical, mental, or psychological challenges you think might affect your success in this class. If you have a documented accommodation, let me know how we can work together to best honor it. If you have a disability that is not documented by Guidance/SPED, please let me know so we can work together to do as much as we can to find ways for you to do your best work in this class. More generally, please let me know if there is anything I should know about you to help you get the most out of this class. This anything can include, but is not limited to, visible or invisible disabilities (documented or not), life traumas, or illness (your own or a loved one’s, human or not). This being said, Profe strongly believes in your ability to succeed and thus will continue to challenge you to put forth your best effort, attitude, and work. ¡Si se puede!

Profe will create and utilize assigned seating arrangements as seen fit. Please inform Ms. Weschler if a different seat would better enhance your learning experience.

Students will be assigned to groups of up to six students to foster community and accountability. These peers will be your go-to resources and fellow ambassadors of excellence. Consider contacting the people in your assigned group if you are absent or have questions on an assignment. These assigned groups will also help Profe with designated classroom duties. Not sure which group you're in? Visit the page for the class you are in: Spanish 1 or Spanish 2.

Any student who has difficulty accessing sufficient food to eat or who lacks a safe and stable place to live is urged to contact the Guidance Department. In the meantime, there are snacks and school supplies located in the cubby by the door of the classroom for you to access at your discretion. Per the school wide policy, students are not permitted to eat in the classroom. Regardless, please notify Ms. Weschler of your personal needs if you are comfortable in doing so. This will enable me to provide any additional resources or support as I am able.

• Nobody signed up for this - click to read how a professor at UNC Chapel Hill is preparing himself and his students for the virtual learning experience.

• Access activities and assignments for your class through GoogleClassroom. Visit GoogleClassroom each school day to make sure you are up-to-date.

  • GoogleClassroom will be organized by unit on the Classwork tab.

  • Recordings of all class sessions will be posted unless technical difficulties occur.

  • Profe does not use GoogleClassroom to calculate grades. All grades are reported on PowerSchool. Assignments on GoogleClassroom will correspond with the title of the assignment on PowerSchool.

  • Graded assignments will usually be posted as "Assignments" whereas non-graded assignments tend to be listed as "Materials". Refer to the daily instructions and/or PowerSchool to ensure you've completed a graded assignment.

• Use the chat feature to sign in to Google Meet sessions (this is one way Profe will take attendance)

• Care for your Chromebook. Notify Ms. Weschler if/when your microphone or video does not work.

• Practice good Cyber Citizenship and professionalism

  • • Engage with the class through video, microphone, and chat box

    • Mute your mic unless you have the floor

    • Raise your hand virtually for permission to speak or for assistance

    • Encourage each other with response emoji’s

• Contact Profe to ask questions or provide her with feedback

• Visit the Sumter School District website for updates on how to prepare and navigate virtual learning

• Makeup work is available to all students, particularly after an absence and to those who discuss extenuating circumstances with Ms. Weschler. Students can access missed activities and instructions on GoogleClassroom, where a recording of each class session and related instructions will be posted.

• Profe will record a zero on PowerSchool until the student has completed and submitted makeup assignments. The zero will appear on PowerSchool until the student turns in makeup work - please allow for five school days to see updates in the gradebook.

• Makeup work must be completed by the end of the term to receive credit. For example, if an assignment was due 9/25 (1st Quarter) and was turned in 12/5 (2nd Quarter), the student will not receive credit because it is in a different grading period.

• Ms. Weschler will use Google Classrooms to post content from classes (notes, activities, assignments, etc.) as well as maintain a physical folder of certain assignments for students to reference in class.

• Students are ultimately responsible for communicating with Profe regarding an absence and related make-up work.

• Use email to notify Ms. Weschler if an assignment will not be turned in on time, especially if it is a major grade!

• Late work will be graded at the discretion of Ms. Weschler

• Late work that is submitted without prior written notification may not receive full credit

• Athletic or other club-related activities do not take precedence over classroom assignments.

Grades will be calculated according to Grading Manual for Sumter School District:

• 60% = Major. These assignments are summative and demonstrate mastery of standards i.e. exams, essays, projects, performances, etc. Students will complete at least three of these per quarter.

• 40% = Minor. These assignments are formative assignments and demonstrate mastery towards standards i.e. independent assignments, quizzes, class activities, etc. Students will complete at least two of these each week.

• Semester Average = 1^st Quarter (40%) + 2^nd Quarter (40%) + Final Exam (20%). Underclassmen must have a semester average of 80% or above to exempt the final exam; seniors must have semester average of 60% or above. NOTE: During the pandemic, final exams will not be administered in this class.

• Grades will be calculated via the statewide grading scale (A = 90-100, B = 80=89, etc.)

• Homework will be assigned as needed to reinforce classroom instruction. Students that do not finish individual assignments during the indicated class time may need to take time outside of class to complete the activity.

• Participation is taken in account via minor grades that encourage cultural reflection and classroom discussion. Students are expected to engage in lessons as they practice reading, speaking, writing, and reading skills. I will use this rubric as a guide to assess participation on a daily basis for each unit. For example: If there are 10 days in our Unit, and the student actively engages 8 out of the 10 days, they will receive an 80% for that unit.

• Students can redo/retake a major assessment that they have failed (with a score below a 60/D) in order to improve their score.

• Reteaching and/or tutoring must take place before the students are given a redo/retake.

• Assignments must be resubmitted within the grading quarter that they were initially assessed.

• The new score will replace the original score in the PowerSchool Gradebook, with a maximum value assigned of 60/D for the retake (Exclusions: EOC tests and final examinations)

• Come prepared with a pass to excuse your tardiness

• Sign in upon entering the classroom late, then immediately find your assigned seat

• Students must ask permission to leave the room.

• Students will ask to use the restroom in Spanish by saying: "¿Puedo ir al baño?"

• Students will sign in and out of the classroom if outside of regular transition times.

• Students will not be allowed to leave during the first or last 15 minutes of class.

• Students must have a written documentation or be called via telephone to go to any place that is not the bathroom, water fountain, or other location deemed appropriate by Ms. Weschler.

The following can occur if a student displays exceptional behavior:

• Profe writes letters of recommendation

• Profe notifies teachers, coaches, parents/guardians, and/or other appropriate parties of student achievements.

• Profe offers additional mentorship in content area as desired by student

The following steps will occur if a student does not adhere to the rules, policies, and procedures set forth by Profe and/or the school district:

1. Student receives verbal warning

2. Student participates in student/teacher conference and/or completes Think Sheet.

3. Teacher contacts parents, coach, administrator, guidance counselor, and/or other appropriate parties

4. Teacher writes referral

** In extreme cases, the teacher will immediately contact an administrator.